I’m an older returning rider and I rely heavily on the forum for the verbal info that my instructor doesn’t provide, probably because I’m too green to ask the right questions. I keep reading about core strength but don’t really know what it means. Which muscle groups? Which movement? What exercises; mounted or at the gym, will develop it. Can someone enlighten me a bit?
Disclaimer: I am not a physiotherapist or expert of any kind! Just a lanky ectomorph who works hard for my core strength!
The core muscles are the group of muscles that sit, basically, at the bottom of your torso up to about your chest. So they would include:
abdominals, pelvic floor muscles, oblique muscles, the muscles around your spine (erector spinus… maybe?), gluetus maximus, medius, and minimus (I’m pretty sure all three), and definitely more. But basically - the muscles that do the work of holding your body up.
There’s no one movement for all of them (that I know of) - but some common core-building exercises are sit ups, crunches, planks, side planks, leg lifts, kegels (for that strong pelvic floor!), and I’m sure a zillion other I don’t know. I think medicine ball exercises are also often used for core strength.
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Core strength is stomach/back/chest/shoulders/hips. Everything but the limbs. The muscles that help you stabilize your body atop a moving animal. All riding will develop core strength, as will most exercise. If you want to specifically target it, think about yoga or pilates, and all kinds of variations of planks and crunches.
Once you’ve established a base level of fitness, TRX is what I’ve found to be most directly applicable to riding.
I do yoga and pilates- both develop the “core” but for riding - my instructor used those elastic bands for riding - heel to shoulder. It was transformative for my understanding of core in riding. Using your core in riding means stretching up, tall and quiet, so everything becomes more stable - both for the horse and rider - then the aids and the horse’s movement becomes easier to “hear”. It was a truly light bulb lesson for me. [stable/quiet does not equal rigid or tight, either]
i hope that makes sense…
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For the older rider, I would start with sit ups, slowly. Then progress to crunches. While kegels are useful for some things. I don’t see them for core strength.
To employ core strength, think of lifting heavy bowls, to a shelf that is at least shoulder height if not a little higher. You feel them in the center of your chest, just below the breast bone.They are the muscles you use to ask for a no hands downward transition. So the muscles of the inner thigh , but not the gluteals come into play. They are also in play in the quick as a breath half halt, so you use them in every turn, every corner, and in between, and in transition within the gaits… Doing the sit-ups and progressing to crunches will also strengthen your back muscles.
Hope this helps.
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I think of the core as knees to armpits. It’s crucial for me because my weakest point is my hamstrings, and I have had to strengthen them. They are what keep my legs under me - and I naturally have a chair seat.
Individual core strength needs vary wildly, though a general strength / suppleness effort through yoga or pilates can be great for you. I would ask your trainer which part of your core you need to use most, as it will change and develop differently over time. If you have posture issues or an undulating back there will be specific areas to work to strengthen to prevent injury.
Yes, it is a term from general fitness not specifically riding, and you could work on it with any personal trainer at a fitness center.
For me for riding it’s the feeling of being able to keep my torso upright through engaging my abs.
Using your gluteals while riding is a mistake. It will pop you out of the saddle. Keep them soft.
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Can you elaborate on the elastic bands? Intriguing.
I started doing yoga and it has done wonders.
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I found pilates classes very helpful. Even if you can just take a class or two on mat (not the machine), most of those exercises can be easily done on your own at the gym, or even at home, once you know what you need to do. (Machine is excellent, but not really something you can do on your own outside of classes.) If you have access to a personal trainer, a session or two with one of them, after explaining what you want to work on, can be very helpful too. I did a few sessions with one at my gym, and while she wasn’t a rider, once I explained what muscle groups/areas I wanted to strengthen and limber, she was very helpful.
The elastic bands are from gyms and perhaps physical therapy. They are wide elastic bands in circles. The correct size is selected by your height. You put it on from heel to shoulder while riding. It pushes dowm on you - forcing you to engage your core to sit up, stretch up. It is not to strengthen you but to teach you the correct feel for an engaged core
For years if anyone told me to stand up straight I threw back my shoulders.
Last month I was going for a walk after slouching on the sofa all morning. I reminded myself to stand up straight and instead of throwing back my shoulders instinctively lifted my abs and core. And then was amazed I had done that spontaneously. Years of yoga never got that through to me. It’s a riding thing.
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I try to go for a short walk once an hour at work, to get out of the chair and away from the computer. I try to really focus on using my core to keep my posture “lifted” while walking, it’s kind of fun actually. Makes you feel all confident. I’m hoping if I can keep my posture like that most of the time in regular life, it will be like that riding and my shoulders will stop drooping forward like they want to.
Regardless, core strength includes the glutes. Also, you really shouldn’t ONLY target abs, obliques and keep glutes fat. They all sort of work together 
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Yes to this. You need all the muscles equally developed to be balanced. That doesn’t mean you engage them all in the same way while riding.
For whatever reason I have very strong glutes for my overall fitness level, but I have no trouble keeping them soft in the saddle.
If you don’t have all the muscles equally developed you can overstrain either the weak muscles or the strong muscles that need to carry the load.
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Recently, as I put my left foot in the iron while mounting, my horse stepped away from the block and pulled my l…glute so hard that I though something ripped badly but luckily I only had a sore thigh for a week. I think my cycling helped but I’m also looking for warm-up exercises I can do at he barn.
